Convergence Creations
by Lady R. Loxley
Summary: The Convergence Roleplay Forum Creation Week 2017. A different one-shot everyday with a different prompt, centered around my characters and those they're close to.
1. Beginnings

Jae-Yoon Hyunsik did flings and one-night stands, but he didn't do actual relationships. Ever since things ended badly with Noah over a year and a half ago, the mere thought of even entertaining the idea of dating someone, being involved romantically, hurt. Noah had taken his heart and yanked it out before crushing it completely when they broke up, and the Korean-American had been forced to glue the pieces back together alone. He had no support from his parents, because they were the main reason he and his blonde beauty broke up in the first place.

That line of thought brought him to the girl he was looking at as leaned back in his seat at the café, winking at a pretty blonde girl who was looking at him from across the room. She blushed and giggled, pulling out a pen and writing something on a piece of paper. Seconds later she was sashaying her way over to him, winking as she slides it to him before she gathers her things and leaves. Jae looks at the name printed in neat, flowery letters on the paper: Noelle. He immediately crushes it and tosses it away, his eyes hardening at the name. It wasn't Noah, but it was close enough, and he wanted nothing to do with anyone named similarly to it.

Just as he begins to stand up and leave, his mood for finding some company for tonight dashed, the door opens. For a brief second, Jae's breath is taken away by the sight of a gorgeous brunette boy as he passes through the doorway, the fading golden sunlight framing him in a way that made him look like some sort of angel. His trance is broken when the door shuts and the boy heads up to the counter. He can breathe again now, but the image of this golden angel boy wasn't anything he was going to be forgetting for a while.

He observes the brunette, not looking away when the beauty turns around after paying and receiving his drink. Jae waves, flashing him a flirtatious smile as he does so. He had no idea if this boy was even gay, or at the very least bisexual or pansexual, but it would be worth a try. The angel paused when he saw the waving and smile before approaching Jae's table. "Is this seat taken?" He asked, gesturing to the seat across from the Korean-American.

Jae shook his head. "No, you're free to take it if you want," he answers, never taking his eyes off of him. "Thanks," is the reply he receives, and golden boy sits down. "I'm Tyler, by the way. Tyler Lockwood." In response, he leans forward in his seat a little, sipping on his drink before saying, "Jae-Yoon Hyunsik, but you can have the pleasure of calling me Jae." He adds a wink, and the way Tyler's cheeks turn a dark pink was absolutely adorable and another image he wouldn't forget for a long time.

"Are you busy tonight?" He asks, his eyes roaming over Tyler's face. Jae was unintentionally mapping it so he could remember it after their meeting, which was unusual – normally he wanted nothing to do with someone after he's finished with them, and that included remembering their name or face. He only remembered things like that if they were especially memorable and he wanted an encore round of their previous activities.

The angel shakes his head and takes a sip of his drink, and all Jae can think about in that moment is how sinfully pretty his lips were, and what they'd look like wra – he stops that train of thought, not wanting to get too far ahead of himself. "Excellent. I can think of a few things we can do tonight," he drawls, staring suggestively at Tyler.

The implications of that sentence makes Tyler's eyes widen and his cheeks flush a light red color. "Oh, no. I don't do casual sex anymore." Jae frowns. He's never been rejected before by someone who was into men, especially not before he'd even actually suggested it.

For some reason, though, the brunette thinks, _I can live with that._ It startles him, because he hadn't thought that way since he met Noah. The more he mulls over that thought, though, the more he realizes it's true. He was willing to get to know Tyler, uncover all of the mysteries about him, and wait for the physical part to come whenever they were both ready for it.

"We'll take things slow then."


	2. Loss

**_Summary:_** ****It's been a month now, and Alec can't help but feel the pain of missing him.

 ** _Loss_**

 _I keep myself busy with things to do, but every time I pause, I still think of you._

Alec stood in the kitchen of Magnus' loft, washing the dishes with a focus so intense it's usually only seen during a fight or battle. He was afraid that if he let his mind drift, even a little bit, it would go to things that he was desperately trying to keep buried. He hadn't really allowed himself to think about it since it happened, so all of his emotions were being bottled up inside. Izzy had told him that it was unhealthy to do that, but he had been stubborn and hadn't listened to her, insisting that he was handling this… even if he wasn't.

As he pulls a plate out of the soapy water to dry it off, it slips from his hands. Instead of trying to catch it, the Shadowhunter lets it fall and shatter against the floor. The second it does, his concentration breaks and he sinks to the floor, squeezing his eyes shut so the tears don't run down his cheeks. He draws his knees close to his chest, his breathing slowly becoming more and more erratic.

Images flash through his head, of blood, tears, his hands frantically working to save a life that was doomed from the start. Even though he was alone in the loft, he could hear screams reverberating throughout it as if he were still living in that damned moment.

The near-silent pleas and begging for someone – anyone – to help tore into him, and he felt tears sliding down his cheeks, hot and fat. The tears were just another reminder of how weak he was, of how he couldn't save one of the people he cares about more than anything else in the world. He furiously wiped them off, but it was no use. They kept rolling down his face, mocking him.

 _I failed you, and I'm so sorry for that,_ Alec thinks, wishing more than anything that he could say it out loud where they could hear it. He couldn't, though, because they were never coming back. He would never get to hear the stupid jokes in the middle of a serious meeting, feel the touch of their fingers on his shoulder as they smile at him in congratulations on a job well done. He'd never laugh with them again, or be able to go to them in the middle of the night when sleeping was too much of a task to handle alone.

Alec lets out a loud sob, and his shoulder shakes as he finally lets the rest of the tears pour down his face in rivers. He had no idea how he was going to be able to face anyone tomorrow when he goes to the Institute, but it would probably go as every day before it had – he'd hand out orders when he needed to, go on missions if he had to, and the rest of the time he'd lock himself away in his office and drown himself in reports and mission statements. If he ran out of those, he'd bury himself in books or train until his knuckles bled.

 _"You need to let yourself feel the pain, Alec, or at least talk to someone about it. What you're doing isn't healthy," Izzy said as she walked into the training room, watching him slam punch after punch against the bag. His knuckles were already split, bloodied, and bruised, so she walked over to him and put a hand on his arm._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine, Izzy," he snapped back, pulling his arm away from her grip as if she had burned his skin. He walked away from her, heading towards the steps so he could leave this conversation behind and go to his office. Alec didn't want to listen to her, because if he did, he'd let the pain in finally and break down right then and there for everyone to see. He had a reputation to maintain, and no one would respect him as the Head of the New York Institute if they saw him crying like a baby in the middle of the training room._

 _"No, you're not. You're running away from it you don't have to face what happened," she says softly, following after him even though he had clearly indicated he wanted no part in this conversation. She was persistent, though, and she saw the path Alec was heading down. It was dangerous, and she fears that if she lets him go down it any longer, something awful will happen to him._

 _"I'm not running away from anything. I'm busy, and unlike you I actually have responsibilities around the Institute," he bites back, his hand reaching for the knob to his office door. He recoils back when a hand flies across his face, a 'smack!' sound reverberating throughout the hallway. A bright red handprint glowed on his face._

 _"I do just as much around here as you do, Alexander Gideon Lightwood! And just because you're in pain because of what happened even though you're denying it, you have no right to talk to me like that!" Isabelle shouted at him, fury written in every line of her face. Suddenly, her expression goes soft and she reaches up and lightly touches it, making her brother hiss in pain. "I'm sorry, Alec, but it's true. You need to face what happened and honor his memory."_

The memory fades, and Alec reaches up to touch his cheek. The handprint was long gone, but he could still feel the phantom pain of being slapped. He had deserved that. Izzy was pretty much running the Institute when he wasn't there, and the days when he was in denial more than usual and couldn't do anything she told everyone he just needed some sleep and would be back the next day. What had he done to deserve such a sister like her? She was his better in every way.

He uses the sleeve of his sweater to wipe away the tears before sucking in a deep breath, exhaling shakily. Alec gets on his knees and begins to pick up the glass, not even hissing in pain when it would slice into his skin and make him bleed. _I deserve that,_ he thinks, _so I should be man enough to deal with it._

By the time he's done picking up the broken pieces, there's nicks and scratches all over his palms and fingers. He disposes of it in the trash, heading out to the balcony. Memories of Max's Rune Ceremony party flashes in his head, although one in particular sticks out the most.

 _"You're a murderer, Alec… nothing more," Clary hissed at him, judgement clear on her face. "Why are you still here?" She presses, narrowing her eyes a little. He looks out over the streets of Brooklyn, his breath heavy._

 _"You let a demon possess you," she says as she gets a little closer to him. "You're weak," the redhead adds, hatred written in every word she speaks._

 _"Nobody is going to be safe." She was right. Nobody was safe around him._

 _"The guilt must be eating you alive-" It was._

 _"Murderer… murderer… murderer…" her voice echoes. He was._

The memory feels like knives are being driven into him and twisted, and he collapses to his knees, letting out a scream of agony and pain. He was screaming for all the things he'd done wrong, the people who had died because he wasn't good enough to save them, all the pain he'd put people through because Jace had left him in charge of the Institute even though Alec wasn't ready – he never would be. Izzy should've been the one to be named the Head of the New York Institute.

When the scream ends, his throat feels raw and it hurts. He uses the balcony ledge to pull himself up, heading back inside. He got changed into his gear and grabbed only his seraph blade, leaving his bow and arrows where he usually did.

Once he's ready, he heads out, walking to where there was rumored to be an entire nest of demons – possibly 10 or more, definitely not a one-person job. He should wait and send Izzy, Clary, and a few others or call them for back up now, but he wanted to handle this on his own and prove to himself – prove to Jace - that he was worthy of running the Institute and it hadn't been a mistake to put him in charge.

Determined, he reaches his destination quickly. Except, there's way more than 10. There's got to be at least 30 of them here, and with his bow and arrows he could've easily won the fight, but he hadn't brought them for a reason.

Alec plunges into the fight, skillfully avoiding barbed tails and knife-sharp nails as he slashed through them with his blade. They hissed and screeched at him, and about 10 of them scattered off before he could kill them.

 _Jace, looking like every bit an angel-_

Alec shakes his head, focusing on the demons he had left. There weren't many left now.

 _His parabatai's blade plunging into a demon before it could hurt Alec-_

The Shadowhunter takes a deep breath, pushing it out of his head. Now wasn't a good time for that.

 _His golden hair flying around his head, the fading sunlight framing him-_

Alec lets out a yell of fury, ducking under the barbed tail of a demon.

 _Jace, turning to face Alec, smiling as a way of congratulating him for a job well done-_

Alec realizes then that he should've listened to Izzy and dealt with this sooner.

 _A look of horror on the blonde's face, Alec turning to see what was wrong-_

Izzy was always right. Why was this any different?

 _Calloused hands, rough from years of fighting, pushing Alec out of the way-_

The other demons come back, and it appears they brought friends. There's too many now.

 _A scream of pain, coming from Jace as sharp nails pierce his skin-_

Alec pushes on, not ready to give up yet.

 _The eldest Lightwood screaming as well, calling Jace's name as he kills the last of the demons-_

He's twirling around, killing them left and right but there's still too many.

 _Jace begging Alec to help him, pleading with him because he doesn't want to die-_

Alec stumbles, phantom pain erupting in his parabatai rune.

 _Alec rushing over to him, drawing Iratze after Iratze even though he knows it's too late-_

The demons over take him, and his blade is scattered off to the side somewhere.

 _Jace's grip on his wrist getting weaker and weaker, until he stops breathing and lets go entirely-_

Pain fills every crevice of his being, but Alec can't bring himself to fight back anymore.

 _Alec screaming and crying, the pain of Jace dying and sacrificing his life for him too much-_

The world grows fuzzier and his vision begins to fade. He knows he doesn't have much longer in this world.

 _Alec, begging for Jace to wake up because he needs his parabatai-_

He smiles, because he knows he's going to see his brother soon. His parabatai.

 _Jace, not responding, making Alec cry and beg louder, pleading for any Angel to listen to him-_

Alec draws in a shaky breath and says, "I'll see you soon, brother."

 _The stunning realization that no Angel was going to save Jace-_

He brings his hand up to his bloodied stomach, resting it on top of his parabatai rune.

 _Alec, going numb because he lost the one person who understood him best-_

He draws in his last breath, and the world fades to black.

 _Jace, waiting for Alec in the afterlife, a sad but understanding smile on his face as he says, "Welcome home, brother," tears in his eyes._

 _Because that's what Jace was, home – even they were dead._

 _He felt the loss, but now he was home._

 _Alec was home in Jace's arms._


	3. Alternatives

**_Summary:_** After saving the Gods from Kronos' destruction, they offer Percy Jackson a once-in-many-lifetimes opportunity: being a God.

 ** _Alternatives_**

 _In an indefinite multiverse, there's no such thing as fiction._

* * *

Percy stood in front of the Olympians, bowing his head respectfully. They were here to reward him for his heroics during the war against Kronos and the Battle of Manhattan. The Gods, Goddesses, and the lucky demigods allowed to watch, sat in silence for a few moments.

Eventually Zeus spoke up, his voice booming as he announces, "The Council has decided that, as a reward for defeating Kronos and saving Mount Olympus and the Gods, Perseus Jackson will be rewarded with Godhood."

Murmurs erupt throughout the small crowd of those who hadn't known what the reward would be, and Percy himself is stunned. Him, a God? He can hear someone behind him saying how rare it was for anyone to be rewarded with Godhood, only serving to shock him even more. "No disrespect, Lord Zeus, but are you sure you want to offer me that?" He questions nervously.

Zeus narrows his eyes. "Do not question the decisions of the Olympian Council!" He booms, making the son of Poseidon nod and duck his head back down.

"Do you accept our offer, son?" It's Poseidon this time, so Percy looks up. He can tell that his father wants the demigod to accept, so they can be together for the rest of eternity.

A million thoughts are running around his head, and the teen really wants to say yes, but… he glances over his shoulder at Annabeth and thinks of his mother and new step-father, Paul Blofis. If he accepted, he might not see them again.

He looks back to Poseidon and the other Gods and imagines himself as one of them, all high and mighty. He'd get to see his dad as much as he wanted to, visit Atlantis… He bit his lip, all too aware of the pressure on him to decide as quickly as he could.

If he accepted, his friends and family might be disappointed that they'd never see him again… but if he denied it, the Gods would be angry with him because they rarely offered this sort of thing.

He takes a deep breath and releases it. Percy has made his decision.

"I would like to accept the offer of Godhood from the Olympian Council."


	4. Memories

**_Memories_**

 _Remembering the past gives power to the present._

Summary: Camille may have poisoned the part of Magnus' past she was included in, but she made his future with Alexander sweeter because of it.

* * *

Magnus was doing a little bit of "Spring Cleaning" in his closet, having decided that he wanted to update his wardrobe while Alexander was at the Institute for the time being. He snapped his fingers and music came flowing through the loft, making the warlock hum as he put what he didn't want any longer in a pile by his feet. He worked his way towards the back, the pile growing bigger and taller as he moved along.

Eventually, Magnus reached the very back, and when he parted the clothes hanging there, a small shoe box sat there, having been hidden by the clothes in front of it. When he reached down to pick it up, he instantly recognized Camille's fancy, neat writing on the box saying 'Memories.' He scoffed at the title but retrieved it anyway, heading back into his bedroom so he could open it while he sat down.

He sat down on the soft, comfortable mattress, sinking down into it slightly as he ran his ring-laden fingers over the box's lid lightly. Despite the bad things he associated with Camille, he'd kept this box as a reminder for various reasons. It was mostly because she had meant everything to him back when they were together, and also because she had saved his life on more than one account. No matter how toxic she had become, she had been his entire world once.

Opening the lid, he carefully sets it aside, staring down at the contents within it. He pulls out a couple pictures they had taken together, swallowing thickly as he brushed his thumb over the first photo lightly.

It was an image of the pair on top of the Eiffel Tower, looking happy and without a care in the world – the memory was poisoned by the betrayal and heartbreak she had caused him, so he put it back down. Every time he thought of any good memory he had with her, it slowly became poisoned as he thought about how she had never actually loved him the way he loved her.

The second photo was of the couple again, and Camille had her lips pressed to Magnus' cheek, which had left a dark red stain on his face after she had pulled away. He reached up to his face and touched the spot she had kissed, hearing her (fake) laughter echoing in his ear right before she had done it. The longer he heard her laughter, the more wicked and evil it sounded.

Magnus desperately didn't want his memories of Alec to turn out like this – ruined, even the happiest ones, which was admittedly most, if not all of them. He had no doubts that Alexander loved him as deeply as the warlock loved him back, but people make mistakes, and even if his darling Shadowhunter is part Angel, he's also part human and humans make mistakes. The same went for Magnus, except he was part Demon.

He puts the pictures back and shuts the box, not wanting to let Camille somehow destroy the happiness he had found with his angel, even if she was only present in photo form. She had ways of getting into people's heads even if she was nowhere in his general vicinity.

Magnus uses his magic to send the box back to where he found it, vowing to burn it later even though he had made that promise before, each time he saw it back there.

His thoughts turned to his darling Alexander. His frown was lifted, turning into a small smile at the onslaught of happy memories that came with thinking of his dark-haired beauty. They had made so many good memories together – the first time the warlock saw him, kissing at the Shadowhunter's wedding, their first date, the first time they made love… there were too many to pick just one as being his favorite.

Soon, their laughter echoed around him, making a beautiful melody of joy and love together. He got up and went out to the living room, leaning against a wall. He imagined them laying on the couch together all cuddled up, watching cheesy mundane movies Alec had never heard of.

The memory shifted to them messily dancing together after having one too many drinks, music playing in the background. They both would stumble a little occasionally, making them both laugh, and Alec was offbeat. That hadn't cared one bit that the dancing wasn't perfect, though. What had mattered most was the fact that they were holding each other close, sharing a memory and having fun. For the life of him, though, he can't remember what had been so funny other than the stumbling – they both kept laughing at the tiniest things.

As he stands there smiling, remembering all of the good things, he can't help but think to himself, _Alexander is nothing like Camille, but my past with her makes my future with him all the more brighter._


	5. Pain

_**Pain**_

 _Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain._

 _Summary:_ He thought he lost her to someone better, but Clary proves to Simon that he's the only one she wants.

* * *

Simon isn't sure how he got so lucky to be able to even look at someone as gorgeous, talented, and amazing as Clary Fray, let alone be her best friend and boyfriend. For a little while, at least…

He kicked an oar that was inside the warehouse he occupied, watching it splinter and go flying off to the other side of the building due to the force of the blow. He was steadfastly ignoring the tears rolling down his cheeks as he thought of what had happened in the Seelie Court, the kiss between Clary and Jace and how that one had been the kiss to release the boys from the Seelie Queen's trick replaying over and over in his head.

His phone rang again for what seemed like the millionth time that day, the familiar ringtone amplified due to his superior hearing. He glared at the offending object before softening and watching the screen as the call comes to an end, the signal for a new voice mail ringing in the air a few seconds later. It was incessant and annoying, but it was the smallest reminder that even though his relationship was coming to an end, she still cared about him enough to try and make things right.

Simon didn't want things to just be right, though, he wanted her. He wanted to be able to hold her and tell her how much he loves her, but he wouldn't get the chance to do it again. Jace wasn't her brother and she loves him more than she loves Simon, which hurt him more than he wanted to admit. It wasn't fair! He had loved her ever since he met her, but that stupid blonde had swooped into her life and taken her heart in a way the vampire would never be able to.

He climbs up to the middle canoe, not wanting to lay in his bed or the one on top. They'd made memories there, and he just wanted to lay here until he withered away. As luck would have it, though, he hears the burning of a rune into the locked door of the warehouse. Before he reaches the door to stop her, Clary is rushing in, looking around.

Once she spots Simon, she runs up to him, throwing her arms around his waist. Despite himself, he hugs her back, taking comfort in the familiarity of being held by her. They stood there in silence for a few moments before she pulls away, biting her lip deeply enough to draw blood on accident. He hisses quietly and backs away a couple steps, not wanting to bite her.

Her eyes widen and she swipes her tongue across it, licking the blood off her lip to try and lower the level of temptation Simon must be feeling right now, judging by the way he had hissed and backed off when the blood had welled up to the surface of her lip. She was grateful he hadn't attacked because it would've made this conversation harder than it was already going to be.

"Simon," she starts, hesitating slightly. Once they started talking, there would be no going back to that silent comfort of their hug.

"Don't, Clary. Please. For the both of us," he begs her quietly, pain flashing in his eyes. He didn't want to do this.

She winced a little when she saw the pain in his eyes and the quiet begging for her to not ruin things any more than she already had. "We need to talk about this," she stated firmly, not wanting to back off now that she had managed to talk to him.

He shakes his head. "No, we don't. It's abundantly clear what you want. Or who, I should say. Spoiler alert, it isn't me," he tells her, sarcasm coloring his tone when he says 'Spoiler alert, it isn't me.' It was only a mask for his sadness, though.

"I love you, Simon, more than I love Jace. That kiss meant nothing to me," she insists, her tone pleading for him to believe her as she got closer to him.

"You heard the Seelie Queen, Clary. Their magic might play tricks on you, but it never lies. Kissing Jace released us from the vines, not me." He was close to breaking down and making her leave even though he wanted nothing more than to accept what she was saying and ignore that it wasn't true – or so he thought.

"No. I don't care if her stupid trick says I desire Jace more. I want to be with you, not him. He'll never understand me or love me like you do no matter how hard he tries," she says, lifting a hand up to cup his cheek. "Please," she adds, her voice almost inaudible to human ears.

Against his better judgement, he leans into her touch. The pain of staying with her even though it would bite his ass in the end would hurt more than losing her and just being her best friend, but he had loved her since they were kids and this love was worth the pain. He nods after a few moments, pulling her in closely and kissing her.

She melts into the kiss, grateful that Simon had listened to her and hadn't kicked her out like she thought he was going to. She didn't want to lose him – not now, not ever. Especially not because of Jace and some Seelie trick. The blonde wasn't her brother, but he could've been, and that weirded her out enough to ward off any serious love she felt for him.

Soon enough, the couple forgot that they'd almost been split apart, joy and love filling the air around them as they lost themselves in the kiss.


	6. Found

**_Found  
_**

 _Mistakes are the portals of discovery._

 _Summary:_ Simon can't sleep, and neither can Jace.

* * *

Simon got up from the bed he had made in a dark corner of Magnus' office after an hour of tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep. Everyone else had fallen asleep, he assumes, even Clary, who was lying next to where the vampire had been. He carefully steps over her, heading out to the balcony silently.

Magnus had invited the group over to his loft for a 'sleepover' (which had made Jace scoff and claim he didn't do sleepovers), saying that they all needed comfort and familiar faces after what had gone down recently with Valentine and Sebastian. Izzy, Alec, Jace, Clary, Simon, Maia… even Meliorn and Raphael had shown up. The warlock had muttered something about how Luke was too busy to oblige the request, making the alpha werewolf the only one invited to not show up.

Of course, Alec practically lived here nowadays, so it hadn't been too hard to convince the Shadowhunter to do it. Izzy had been thrilled by the idea, and Jace secretly was too, no matter how much he tried to convince everyone else he'd rather not participate in this. Simon wasn't sure what Maia thought of it, and he wasn't really sure how Meliorn fit in, but, as he glances over his shoulder to look back into the loft, he finds that he doesn't mind. They had made a ragtag group of Downworlders and Nephilim, something that was rare these days if he understood the situation as well as he thought he did.

He leaned against the edge of the balcony, his elbows resting on top of it with his arms folded over top of each other. The city below him was lit up still, cars driving past and people looking like ants as they walk to wherever it was they were heading to. Out there, though, he knows people are sleeping and wishes he could do the same.

Dark images were keeping him awake, though, preventing him from slipping off into a peaceful state of dreamlessness. He kept seeing the Shadowhunters he cared about taken off by Kaelie, their runes carved off and left somewhere to be found later. The one he kept seeing most of all was Clary, her almost-kidnapping and murder spooking him deeply.

More than that, however, he saw Izzy, lying dead in some street in Brooklyn, her skin pale and her body lifeless.

Then Alec, even if the Nephilim teen didn't like Simon, found in an alley way with his bow broken and runes distributed around his body.

Lastly he saw Jace, the blonde's eyes wide open, his blue-brown eyes no longer alight with life and snarky but well-meaning comments ceasing to flow out of the Shadowhunter's mouth.

He pulls his arms off the edge, wrapping them around himself. He turns when he hears footsteps almost-silently approaching the balcony as well, immediately placing the familiar face as Jace. "What are you doing up?" Simon asks him, turning back to face the view he had been staring at.

Jace just shrugs, standing next to the vampire and looking out over Brooklyn as well. "Couldn't sleep. Nothing out of the ordinary."

The answer seemed so… mundane, so acceptable, that the brunette almost dropped the matter. However, he looked at Jace, actually looked at him, and after a few seconds of observation he could tell that something was bothering the normally stone-like Shadowhunter. Simon bit his lip, debating on if he should press the matter, because whatever was bothering him was likely something he'd probably only talk about with Alec, or no one at all.

Simon must've been staring too long, because Jace turns his head to look at the vampire, his eyebrows raised. "Are you thinking about something, or are you awestruck by my amazingly attractive looks?" He questions, waving his hand in front of the brunette's face.

Simon snaps out of it, a very faint pink dusting his cheeks as he looks back down at the city below. "I think that you're not being entirely honest, and there's something out of the ordinary about why you can't sleep," he blurts out before he can lose the courage to tell Jace that he knows something is up.

The blonde is silent, thinking about whether or not he should trust the boy with the truth. They were the only two awake right now, and he could always make Simon swear not to tell anyone. After he thinks for however many minutes, he lets out a deep sigh.

"There's too much to talk about. Kaelie, the Seelie court… We'd be talking for hours if I told you everything," Jace admits.

"I'll be a great listener, Jace. I won't even talk back unless you want me to," Simon answers, trying to get the blonde to talk to him. He knows how hard it is for the Shadowhunter to talk about his feelings and worries, so he wanted to encourage the half-Angel to talk, even if he wasn't getting any advice or response in return.

Jace stays silent for a moment, and then, when the city seems to be at its quietest, as if it was listening to the blonde talk too, he begins explaining what was keeping him from sleeping: Kaelie's murders, how it had almost been Clary who got killed, the Seelie Court and their tricks… the list went on and on.

Simon just nodded at the appropriate moments, listening intently to what the Shadowhunter had to say. It was clear that he hadn't let it all out in a very long time, because some of the things mentioned had happened a while back. It just went to show how repressed Jace was emotionally.

At the end, Jace goes completely silent. Even though he doesn't really see the blonde hug people a lot, Simon steps over to him and pulls him in, clearly surprising Jace who, after a few seconds, hugs back. They stay like for a few moments before they both pull away.

"Thanks for listening and not judging," the Shadowhunter says quietly.

Simon smiles brightly. "Any time, Jace." A second later he adds, "My lips are sealed, by the way. I won't tell anyone what you told me."

In the soft glow from the city lights, he could see a half-smile on Jace's face – a genuine one. Simon nudges the blonde's shoulder with his own, receiving a nudge in return.

They weren't exactly best friends, but Simon knew that he had found someone he could rely on (no matter how much Jace might gripe about it.)


End file.
